Days ago brief footage of the rumored Christina Aguilera and hologram Whitney Houston duet performance from NBC’s The Voice season finale leaked online. Then on Thursday, May 19 the full performance footage leaked and it left many fans, or anyone with good eyes, giving it well….side eye.
Despite a great performance from Christina, the hologram Whitney looked nothing like the real Whitney, moved nothing like the real Whitney and many fans took to social media to trash the clone. Well just that quick, Whitney’s estate has pulled the plug on the pre-taped performance, so fans won’t be seeing it air on the finale in a few days.
Pat Houston, executor of the estate, has issued the following statement exclusively to ET’s Kevin Frazier.
We are so appreciative of the opportunity for the Whitney Houston hologram to appear on NBC’s The Voice with a talent pairing as extraordinary as Christina Aguilera and Whitney Houston. We were looking to deliver a ground breaking duet performance for the fans of both artists. Holograms are new technology that take time to perfect, and we believe with artists of this iconic caliber, it must be perfect. Whitney’s legacy and her devoted fans deserve perfection. After closely viewing the performance, we decided the hologram was not ready to air. We have much respect and appreciation for Christina, and she was absolutely flawless.
ET previously spoke with Aguilera about the planned performance, though she kept mum on the details.
“I am sworn to secrecy,” she stressed during a backstage interview at The Voice on May 9. “I can’t say anything, but I’m very excited about the finale. Very exciting things happening.”
Prior to the snafu, the hologram was set to headline an official tour this and Whitney’s estate was all in, that was before the final product was revealed. Speaking on it in advance Pat Houston revealed:
“It’s a great opportunity for her fans to see a reinvention of one the most celebrated female artists in history and to continue a legacy of performances that will not be forgotten in years to come,” Pat Houston said in a statement at the time.
According to a press release, the hologram would then perform its own headlining show in 2016. The interactive show, created by FilmOn Studios, was said to be opening at “a major U.S. venue and tour the world,” featuring a selection of Houston’s biggest hits.
Christina Aguilerra and Whitney Houston Hologram USA leaked from HowardJonas on Vimeo.
